Poetry Pin

A fully inclusive project that allows everyone, young and old, the opportunity to reflect and share their own sense of place.

In response to the devastating fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel on Exeter’s Cathedral Green, in October 2016, Exeter City Council wanted to create a way for both residents and visitors of Exeter to respond to this tragic event. The Poet Chris Jelley, who had already had great success with his Exmoor Poetry Boxes, was contacted and Exeter City Council along with Daisi decided that Chris’s idea for a virtual, interactive poetry platform called Poetry Pin was the perfect method to do this.

The fire was just a starting point, but what really became apparent was the way the fire acted as a trigger to encourage people to think about their sense of place. What Exeter means to them, what places or buildings hold significance, what memories, events or stories connected them to Exeter?

Poetry Pin offers the writer and the reader an interactive platform to share their thoughts, views and feelings about the city of Exeter, through the means of Poetry. The poems are Geo Tagged to the location from where they are uploaded, and they can only be read when standing in that location. This in turn allows people engaging with the site to visit different locations around the city and read a wealth of different responses, from all ages and backgrounds.

Follow this link to see a video broadcasted by BBC One documenting how the idea for this project was conceived and implemented.